I’m not taking credit for this, but I spent a couple of hours on base yesterday for an annual physical and noticed that all the public area televisions were set to CNN and NBC. Not one was set to Fox News.
I wonder if the letter I sent in September 2009 had anything to do with it?
355th Wing Commander
Davis-Monthan AFB AZ 85707Dear Sir,
When I visit DMAFB, I see public area televisions — DMAFB clinic, Pass & ID waiting room, etc — tuned to Fox News. I believe there is a DoD regulation or AF instruction mandating that public area televisions be set to neutral news channels, not politically partisan ones.
Increasingly, Fox News has dedicated itself to opposing the current administration and now appears to be actively working against President Obama. The thrust of Fox News commentary has gone far beyond political disagreement and is now directed at undermining President Obama in every aspect of his administration.
During my USAF career, I served under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. Regardless of my personal political opinions, I always respected the office of the President of the United States, and served each Commander in Chief to the best of my abilities.
There is a clear and fundamental conflict between the military’s embrace of a partisan television network devoted to undermining and ultimately destroying the President of the United States, and supporting our Commander in Chief in peace and war.
Please take an active role in directing 355th Wing units to control what is being shown on public area televisions.
Sincerely,
Paul Woodford, Lt Col, USAF (ret)
Ya think? I never got a response to that letter, unless what I saw yesterday was the response. Maybe there’s still some value in writing to the powers that be.